


In the Midst of Things

by exohousewarming



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bottom Jongin, Fluff, Kim Jongbros, M/M, Protective Chanyeol, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 08:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12272655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exohousewarming/pseuds/exohousewarming
Summary: Author:lalulalido (AFF)Prompt number:8Side Pairings (if any):Chen/Xiumin, Baekhyun/Sehun, hinted future Tao/KrisWarnings:age gap (5 years), unprotected sexSummary:Jongdae apparently has a brother. Jongdae's brother is apparently cute. Jongdae's brother is apparently living with them. Chanyeol's not sure he can do this.





	In the Midst of Things

**Author's Note:**

> **Author Note:** Huge thanks to the mods for giving me an extension due to unforeseen health circumstances!! Thank you to the prompter for such a cute prompt; I kinda took some liberties so I hope you don't mind! Also, I understand that Chanyeol is allergic to dogs and poodles are supposed to be hypoallergenic, but his mom said that he still gets allergic reactions when he plays with his puppy (poor guy) so in this story he's still allergic to poodles LOL Pets/pet names in this fic are canon!! The spider incident is also canon (wasn't actually a spider and it didn't actually occur in the dorm but you can look up EXO ment at the 2017 Lotte Family festival concert and see the fancams of Kai vs The Bug and Chanyeol coming to the rescue).

In the past five years Chanyeol has known Jongdae, the latter has never mentioned anything about having a younger brother. So imagine Chanyeol’s surprise when the first thing he sees after opening his bedroom door on Saturday morning is a man sprawled on the couch, eyes closed and chest gently heaving. He blinks once, twice, before raising his fists to rub at his eyes, _just to be sure he isn’t hallucinating_. When the man is still there, sleeping just as peacefully as before, Chanyeol slowly retreats back into his room. He tries convincing himself he’s still asleep and is just dreaming, before the possible implications of why a stranger is on his couch hit him. He squares his shoulders and braves the living room again, just in time to hear the click of the front door handle unlocking. Immediately on the defensive, he raises his arms in a protective stance before shouting, “Whoever it is, I have a black belt in taekwondo so! Enter at your own peril!”

Familiar cackling reaches his ears and he blinks open the eyes he didn’t know he had scrunched shut. On the couch, the previously asleep stranger is now staring half curiously, half warily at him; at the door, his roommate Jongdae is holding two coffees and a paper bag from the cafe down the street. “Shut the fuck up, Chanyeol,” he sneers, “You’re shit at anything even remotely athletic.” The man on the couch snorts, drawing both their attentions. “Oh, you’re up,” Jongdae carries on, not even mildly concerned at the appearance of an intruder. “I thought you’d be asleep until noon.” Chanyeol blinks at the man who in turn blinks at Jongdae. 

“Um... who is this?” Chanyeol finally asks after the three seconds of awkward silence.

Jongdae blinks. “My brother.” 

“O...kay? And why is he here?” 

“He’s transferring to a college around here so I’m accommodating him until he can get his own place,” Jongdae replies innocently.

Chanyeol huffs in exasperation. “And you didn’t think to tell me about this why?” 

“Slipped my mind?” Jongdae makes his way with breakfast to the kitchen counter. “His name is Jongin, by the way. Isn’t he the cutest?” Jongin is watching the exchange between the two older men silently, eyes ping-ponging from one speaker to the next. At this, his eyes widen marginally as he stares at Chanyeol’s bewildered yet resigned face. 

From his place in the kitchen, Jongdae looks over in exasperation as his roommate and brother make no move to communicate with each other. He clucks this tongue. “Jongin, introduce yourself.”

“Um, hi,” the boy responds shyly, blush tinging his cheeks as he removes his gaze from Chanyeol’s face. “My name is Jongin, sorry to be a bother. I promise you won’t even notice I’m around, hyung, I’ll be really quiet!” 

Chanyeol stutters as Jongin fidgets with his sleeves from where he’s still situated on the couch. Jongdae shoots Chanyeol a knowing look and mouths, “Cute, right?” Chanyeol wants to slap the smirk off his face. 

“Park Chanyeol,” he huffs out before retreating back to his room, which is safe and cute-boy free. He closes the door quickly behind him but Jongdae’s loud laughter is hard to shut out, and it is quickly followed by voices chattering happily in harmony with the clink of silverware. 

He groans. He is so fucked. 

Grabbing his phone, he quickly texts the last person he had been chatting with the day before, an unread text message from said person completely disregarded as his fingers bang on the screen. Without waiting for a response, he pulls on street clothes and jams his phone into his pocket and a snapback onto his head. The door is opened cautiously as he peeks out into the living room and kitchen area; thankfully, Jongin and Jongdae are absorbed in their conversation and pay him no heed. He tiptoes out of his room and stealthily puts on shoes. Before he leaves, he calls out a quick, “Going out to Baek’s! I’ll be back later!” and slams the front door shut after him without waiting for a response. 

 

 

Baekhyun is unamused when Chanyeol shows up outside his apartment twenty minutes later. It had taken a good five minutes of knocking and shouting before Baekhyun even opened the door, looking pissed as hell with only a blanket wrapped around his frame and a red mark blooming on his neck. This doesn’t intimidate Chanyeol at all, so he pushes his way into the apartment, leaving Baekhyun to fume quietly and shut the door behind him. “Didn’t you get my text?” He quickly makes his way home on Baekhyun’s couch, much to the latter’s chagrin.

“ _No_ , because I was _busy_ ,” Baekhyun seethes. 

“Hyung? Who was it?” A voice calls out from the doorway of the bedroom. Sehun, Baekhyun’s boyfriend, is propped against the frame of the door in the nude, cock still erect as he rubs his eyes to adjust to the brightness outside. It’s clear that Chanyeol has just interrupted _something_ , but he isn’t in the least bit apologetic. 

“It’s me, Sehunnie. Nothing I haven’t seen, but you still might want to put some clothes on,” Chanyeol chirps from where he’s seated. Sehun’s eyes shoot open in shock before he smirks at the man on the couch. 

“What? You don’t like what you see, hyung?” He asks as he twists his body, modelling his erection. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, Sehun is a professional clothing model and undeniably handsome, something he isn’t ashamed of flaunting. Baekhyun was the one who found him, and now he models almost exclusively for the man’s designs. Beside Chanyeol, said fashion designer growls possessively. 

He pulls his blanket tighter around his body. “Back in bed, now. We’re finishing what we started.” Sehun scurries off. Baekhyun shoots a dirty look at Chanyeol. “I’m not talking to you until we’re done.” 

Chanyeol shrugs. “Fine by me, I can go get some coffee first. I just needed to get out of the house.” 

Baekhyun’s brows scrunch in concern at his words, but he simply nods and makes his way back into the bedroom. “Give us an hour,” he says as he shuts the door. 

 

 

Chanyeol stands with his hand poised to knock on the door an hour later. True to his word, Baekhyun swings the door open after the first knock, silently inviting Chanyeol in. This time, he’s dressed in his favorite blue and white striped bathrobe, hair still slightly dripping from the shower. The red mark previously on his neck has now become a full hickey. In the kitchen, Sehun is puttering around in a matching bathrobe. He waves silently before continuing to prepare lunch. “Talk,” Baekhyun commands as he sits imperiously on his couch. Chanyeol follows suit. 

“Did you know Jongdae has a brother?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun furrows his brow in confusion. 

“Yes...? Five years younger I think.” Chanyeol gapes. 

“Oh. Well did you know Jongdae’s brother is really fucking cute?” Baekhyun’s look of concern molds into something else entirely.

“Did you really interrupt me and Sehun’s morning sex because you thought Jongdae’s brother was _cute_?” Chanyeol nods. “What the fuck Park Chanyeol, you’re twenty five, don’t act like such a prude!” Baekhyun exclaims. 

“You don’t understand,” the taller moans. “Jongin’s so fucking cute and he’s going to be living with us now. I don’t know what to do, what if I pop a boner around him? What if he thinks I’m some creepy pedo?” 

“Wait, back up. He’s living with you now?” Again, Chanyeol nods. In the kitchen, Sehun has stopped chopping vegetables to listen in curiously on the conversation.

“Yeah, the kid got into some college around here. Jongdae didn’t even tell me,” he whines again. “I just woke up and walked outside and bam! A god was sleeping on my living room couch.” Baekhyun laughs. 

“You’ll live,” Sehun pipes up. “After all, you’ve seen me naked without popping a boner. And trust me, I define attractive.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes and Baekhyun huffs.

“Don’t fucking remind me.” Baekhyun pouts at his boyfriend who coos back at him. “But Sehunnie’s right. You’ll get used to seeing him around and the shock of it will probably go away soon.” 

Chanyeol groans. “I guess.” 

“Do you want to stay for lunch?” Baekhyun offers in sympathy. Chanyeol perks up.

“Thanks Baek,” he replies sincerely.

“Why are you thanking him?” Sehun scowls. “I’m the one cooking!”

 

 

When he finally gets home, it’s to the sound of _classical music_ blaring through the doorway of his apartment. He furrows his brows, confused, not because the music is bad - in fact, he has a secret love for classical pieces - but because neither he nor Jongdae make it a habit of playing music loud enough to be heard outside the apartment, nor do they outwardly enjoy classical. As he fumbles with his keys, their neighbor opens his door, dragging his two black poodles along with him. “Hi Kyungsoo! Taking the pups out for a walk?” He asks, momentarily forgetting about his keys to bend down and pet the dogs, his allergies be damned. 

Kyungsoo scowls in response. “Why the fuck are you playing music so loud in the apartment? I could even hear it through my headphones!” He tugs lightly on the dogs’ leashes and they trail after their owner as if sharing the same disgruntlement. Which, Chanyeol considers, doesn’t seem at all improbable as dogs have superior hearing. 

“Sorry about that,” he winces, “Dae’s brother is staying over. I guess that’s his music. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him to keep it down from now on.” He straightens and shuffles back over to his own door. “Sorry,” he repeats.

Kyungsoo gives a silent nod of acceptance and turns to walk down the hallway, leaving Chanyeol to return to opening his door. As soon as he does, he can’t help the “what the fuck” that blurts out of his mouth. On his back, Kim Jongin has his legs in a perfect 180 split in the air. Sweat trickles down his forehead and neck, and his loose white tank is already fairly soaked. He’s wearing black leggings that leave very little to the imagination, and Chanyeol finds his cock twitching in interest. He groans silently and wills it not to do anything embarrassing in plain sight. 

Jongin pops his head up from the ground and stares in shock at Chanyeol, before blushing and quickly sitting up, closing his legs and moving to pause the music. “Um... hi Chanyeol hyung,” he says. Chanyeol stares. 

“What are you doing?” Is the only response he can give right now. As Jongin struggles to find the words to explain, Chanyeol toes off his shoes and closes the door behind him. He crosses the living room to sit on the couch, looking down at Jongin who now has his nose scrunched adorably. 

“I’m, um, stretching? I’m a dancer,” he explains, rubbing his exposed arms nervously. “Classically trained, hence the music.” 

“Oh. That’s cool,” he replies. Jongin continues staring up at him from the ground. “Just, uh,” he coughs, “try to keep it down? Um, the neighbor, Kyungsoo, is a little grumpy and he likes his quiet.” 

“Of course!” Jongin nods, hair bouncing up and down as his head moves vigorously. 

“And he has puppies so. They don’t really like loud noises, you know?” 

“Puppies?” The younger boy asks, eyes lighting up in excitement. “What kind?” 

Chanyeol shifts nervously, unused to having the attention of an attractive younger male focused solely on him. He can feel his palms beginning to sweat and he rubs his hands nervously down his pants. “Do you uh, want to sit on the couch?” Jongin looks confused for a moment before nodding and gracefully rising off the floor to plop himself next to Chanyeol. He winces slightly and presses a hand onto his back after he seats himself on the couch. The move doesn’t go unnoticed by Chanyeol though he doesn’t mention it. 

“What kind?” Jongin eagerly asks again.

“Poodles. Toy poodles.” Chanyeol pulls out his phone and unlocks it, opening the photo app to show Jongin a picture. “One black and one grey.” He shows the picture to Jongin. “The black one is called Mongmool and the grey one is Hoochoo. They’re both little princesses.” 

Jongin lights up and coos at the pictures. “Wah, hyung they’re so cute!” He laughs as he play pets the dogs on the phone screen, and Chanyeol finds himself observing the younger’s laughing face. Suddenly, there’s a different phone being shoved into his face and he blinks. On the screen, two brown poodles and one white poodle are staring happily into the camera, tongues lolling. “These are my puppies,” Jongin says proudly. “Monggu, Jjanggu, and Jjangah! Jjangah is the white one and my only daughter.” 

Chanyeol smiles at Jongin’s expression. “They’re beautiful,” he says sincerely. 

“Right?” Jongin chuckles. “They’re super spoiled though. But I still miss them. I wish I didn’t have to leave them at home.” 

“Oh? Why didn’t you bring them?” Chanyeol asks in curiosity. Though he’s allergic to dogs, he wouldn’t mind having them in the apartment. After all, he already has to eat allergy medicine with the amount he plays with Kyungsoo’s puppies. 

“Jongdae hyung doesn’t really like dogs. And he said it’s too much of a hassle since I’m not even living in my own apartment yet,” he replies forlornly. “But I think that I could take care of them... Not that I’m complaining!” He says with wide eyes. “I’m really thankful you guys are letting me stay here free of charge,” he continues shyly. Chanyeol wants to coo. He knows full well of Jongdae’s dislike of canines; the latter leaves a wide berth between him and the dogs next door everytime he sees them. It’s also a reason he gets along so well with his boyfriend Minseok, who has a cat named Tan. 

“Well, as long as you keep the music down I don’t think Kyungsoo would mind if you wanted to play with his puppies,” Chanyeol offers.

“Really?” Jongin bubbles with excitement. “Do you really think Kyungsoo-ssi would let me play with his dogs?” 

“Of course!” Is what Chanyeol means to say. Unfortunately, the “he’s actually really nice, especially to cute things” slips out as well without his permission. Jongin blushes and blinks up bashfully at Chanyeol, who coughs and starts fidgeting with his pants. 

“Thank you Chanyeol hyung,” Jongin says softly. 

“No problem,” Chanyeol laughs awkwardly. “Uh, where’s Jongdae? It’s getting kind of late.” 

Jongin scrunches his nose in thought. “He went out with Minseok hyung I think? He should be back soon though,” he offers. Chanyeol nods in understanding. 

“Well, I won’t bother you. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” Jongin smiles and waves as Chanyeol rises to leave down the hall to his own room. 

 

 

Jongdae walks into his room quietly after knocking three times on the door, a signal they had determined on when they first moved in together. If there was no response from the other side, it meant the room was safe to be entered. Throughout the years, several awkward situations have been avoided thanks to this knocking system. 

Chanyeol pauses his work and takes off his headphones in acknowledgement. “What’s up?” He asks. Immediately, Jongdae puts a finger to his lips and looks hesitantly behind him. 

“Shh,” he says, “Jongin is sleeping already.” 

“Oh. Is he sharing your room?” Chanyeol rolls his shoulders back and sighs at the satisfying feeling. 

Jongdae shakes his head. “He’s sleeping on the couch. Jongin’s too big now to share a bed with me.” He laughs softly. 

“Is that... okay?” 

“What do you mean?” Jongdae questions in confusion. 

“I don’t know, I just. Noticed that his waist doesn’t seem to be in the best condition so. Is it really alright for him to be sleeping on the couch?” Chanyeol scratches his head nervously. He doesn’t know if his observation from earlier was accurate or not. 

Jongdae’s expression darkens. “Jongin injured his waist a year ago. He used to train to become a professional dancer but because of his injury he can’t anymore. He isn’t allowed to dance again so his waist should be better now... He’s never mentioned any problems to me.” 

“Oh. Alright, just wondering.” He decides to keep the fact that Jongin was stretching on the living room floor a secret. After all, it doesn’t seem like something appropriate for him to spill the beans on.

Jongdae nods. “You’re not mad at me right? You kinda stormed off earlier.”

Chanyeol laughs. “I’m not mad. You know it takes more than that for me to get mad.” 

“I know. You’re a good guy, Chanyeol.” 

“Quit flattering me,” he chides, but blushes anyways. Jongdae cackles and slips out of his room, leaving him to go back to his work. 

 

 

The following months living with Jongin truly do get better, as Baekhyun and Sehun said it would. While his attraction to Jongin doesn’t fade, Chanyeol doesn’t find himself panicking at the site of the other anymore. He does have to deal with more morning wood and shower masturbation sessions, but he doesn’t pop out any boners without warning, much to his relief. In fact, he even finds it in himself to tease the younger at any opportunity, revelling in the pink flush he causes in Jongin’s cheeks. Jongin also doesn’t stop dancing, often practicing stretches or simple little moves in the living room, always with an eye on the door in case his brother enters unexpectedly. 

“Well you guys are getting quite close,” Jongdae comments one day when he comes home from a date with Minseok to find his brother and roommate tangled together on the couch, enraptured by the TV screen. 

“Shh,” they hush. “Harry’s about to break Sirius out of prison!” The blanket barely covers both of their laps, and they cling to each other while on the edge of their seats. Jongdae scoffs and walks around them to go get a glass of water from the fridge. 

He sets the glass down gently and furrows his brow as he watches the two. Minseok’s proposal from earlier sits heavily on his mind. He sighs loudly, and two sets of eyes turn to glare at him. Jongdae blinks in surprise and holds his hands up in surrender. Jongin acknowledges his brother’s apology and returns his gaze to the TV, but Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him in question. He shakes his head imperceptibly and mouths, “Later,” while pointing in the direction of his room. Chanyeol nods in understanding as Jongdae finds his way into his room, shutting the door behind him. He looks at the closed door for a few more seconds before Jongin tugs on his sweater agitatedly and points at the dramatic action sequence happening in the movie. 

 

 

“What’s wrong?” Chanyeol is perched on Jongdae’s bed. The movie had ended and he had playfully tucked Jongin into bed, patting him fondly before turning off the lights in the living room and making his way into Jongdae’s room. “What’s on your mind? Come, come. Tell Papa Chanyeol.” 

Jongdae scoffs at Chanyeol’s words. “Just... I’m thinking of moving out.” 

Alarm shoots through Chanyeol’s body. Surprisingly, his first thoughts aren’t of rent or losing a roommate of five years, but _Jongin_. “Why? Is something wrong?” The “what about Jongin” remains unspoken. 

“Minseok asked me to move in with him. I’m... considering.” Jongdae fidgets in his chair. He’s rarely uncertain about himself, so Chanyeol knows this is no joking matter. “His apartment is closer to work too, and you know, I’m really serious about him. But this is the next big step so I’m wary.” 

“Jongdae! That’s great!” Chanyeol exclaims. This is far from the bad news he was expecting. “Minseok hyung’s a great guy and I really think you guys are going to last.” He smiles at his friend; Jongdae returns the gesture wanely. 

“Yeah, Minseokkie is pretty great. But it’s a lot of responsibility and it means a lot more and I just... What about you? What about Jongin too, you know?” He wrings his hands nervously. 

“Look, Dae. You guys are serious about each other. And it’s obvious he cares a lot about you. I’m happy for you and Jongin’s happy for you too. He doesn’t say anything but I know he is. And besides, you’ve been spending most weekends with him anyways. You can take this step, I know you can.” 

Jongdae blinks up at him with those puppy eyes that remind him of Jongin and he gulps. “Don’t worry about me, either. I’m twenty five, I have a job, I can take care of myself. And Jongin can stay here. We get along fine and he’s a cute dongsaeng I don’t mind having around.” He claps encouragingly at the end of his spiel. 

At this, the other peers up suspiciously at him. “You like him don’t you! You like my Jonginnie!” He accuses. Chanyeol clears his throat quickly but the red of his ears betray him. 

“Oh? Is that Jongin I hear outside? Haha, gotta go, check on him... You know? Haha, we can talk about this later! Bye Jongdae!” He hurriedly leaves the room and sighs in relief when Jongdae doesn’t chase him out the door. He walks quietly towards the couch where Jongin is already asleep. Jongin’s ability to fall asleep in five minutes flat is something that continues to baffle Chanyeol. 

To Chanyeol’s concern, Jongin’s face is scrunched up in pain and his breathing is laboured in his sleep. He sleeps on his side, and Chanyeol can only guess that his waist is bothering him. And no wonder too, as the couch does not offer the support his injury needs. Sighing, Chanyeol stuffs some pillows between Jongin and the back of the couch, gently nudging the sleeping boy’s body closer to the cushioning. Jongin relaxes slightly into his touch and he smiles. An idea suddenly comes to mind and he looks around the room furtively to make sure Jongdae isn’t secretly watching. Satisfied, he also checks to make sure Jongin hasn’t woken up. When he finds the boy still fast asleep, he quickly presses a chaste kiss to his forehead, and shuffles hurriedly out of the living room with burning ears and a stupid grin on his face. 

 

 

The next day Jongdae announces his plans to move in with his boyfriend Minseok. Jongin’s eyes water and his lip starts to tremble. But before he starts wailing, Jongdae quickly continues. “Chanyeol has graciously offered to allow you to stay here permanently, in my old room. Free of charge,” he says with a grateful smile to his old friend. Jongin pauses with his mouth open, the cry shocked out of him. He turns his gaze away from his brother to where Chanyeol is sitting awkwardly on the ground behind him. 

“Really hyung?” He asks with a small sniffle. 

“Really, kiddo.” Chanyeol replies. “I like having you around. You make a better roommate than your brother at least,” he adds, never passing up a chance to snub Jongdae. Jongdae sneers in response but Chanyeol ignores him because Jongin has started beaming. Chanyeol thinks he might have a previously undiagnosed case of asthma because he suddenly can’t breathe. 

“Hyung’s the best!” Jongin chimes and before Chanyeol can blink, he has a lapful of the younger clinging onto him like a koala to a tree. He looks up in distress at Jongdae who is holding in a laugh. He shrugs as if to say “you’re on your own, buddy” and turns around to finish preparing his cup of coffee. Nervously, Chanyeol reaches around to gingerly pat at Jongin’s back, and is rewarded with a nose digging into his neck and a happy little sigh. 

He thinks he can get used to this.

 

 

As soon as Jongdae moves out, Chanyeol ushers Jongin into his brother’s old room. “You need to sleep on the bed, young man,” he addresses sternly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your waist problems.” Jongin looks away in guilt.

“I didn’t think you’d notice, hyung. Jongdae hyung didn’t even notice.” 

Chanyeol snorts. “That’s cause Jongdae’s an idiot. But anyways, I... am familiar with dance related injuries so. Don’t think you can get past me.” He squints in emphasis. 

Jongin perks up. “How are you familiar hyung? Aren’t you a graphic designer, not a dancer? Jongdae hyung says you can’t dance. How can you be so sure?” 

“That’s a secret,” Chanyeol says gruffly with a cough. “Anyways, no more sleeping on the couch!” The younger nods obediently and makes a huge show of laying down on the bed and rolling around. Pacified, Chanyeol makes his way to the door. Before he closes it, he mockingly points at his eyes and then at Jongin. This makes the other giggle, and Chanyeol smirks in satisfaction to himself. 

He wanders back into his room and plops down on his own bed, kicking his legs as he thinks with excitement that from now on, it’ll be him and Jongin indefinitely. Although the possibility of Jongin moving out is very real, Chanyeol hopes that it will never happen and that Jongin will be happy with rooming with him. His phone buzzes from where it’s situated on his pillow, and he peers at the notification coming in. It’s a text from Baekhyun, inviting him and a plus one to his next fashion show, being held that Friday, five days later. There’s a winky face next to the invite, and Chanyeol can just hear Baekhyun in his mind, telling him to “seize the opportunity”. 

The next unread text is from an hour ago, and it’s Kyungsoo sending him a picture of Jongin and Hoochoo, playing happily on the grass. The accompanying caption alerts him that Jongin had asked for the picture from Kyungsoo, but had failed to provide the latter with his phone number, hence the text to Chanyeol. Laughing gently, he saves the picture to his phone and forwards the message to Jongin, attaching his own message explaining Kyungsoo’s dilemma. The picture reminds him of something though, and he prepares to leave his room.

 

 

Chanyeol comes back home three hours later, sneezing and tearing. There’s a lump of something furry moving around under his sweater, and he grunts at the excited movements. “Calm down,” he chides gently as he tries to open the front door quickly. Unfortunately, that seems all but impossible as he tries to hold the squirming ball securely in one hand while lugging a big bag of supplies in the other. Thankfully, Jongin appears to hear his struggle and pulls the door open for him.

“Hyung,” he says in surprise. An excited yip follows the sound of his voice. He blinks in confusion and hopeful excitement at the movement under Chanyeol’s sweater. “Is that...?” He asks breathlessly. 

“Ah, it was supposed to be a surprise.” Chanyeol draws the small black poodle puppy out from where it was hidden. “This is Beethoven, Toben for short.” The puppy wriggles excitedly in his hand and Jongin reaches out a tentative finger for it, before stopping himself short. 

“Are we keeping him?” He breathes, finger still in the air above the pup. Chanyeol can feel the sneeze coming, so he only nods in response, before achoo-ing into his elbow. “Are you... are you okay, hyung?” Jongin looks at Chanyeol’s puffy and red eyes in concern. 

“Yeah I’m just, you know, allergic to animals with fur,” he coughs out. “But I bought allergy medicine, see!” He pulls up the bag in his other hand. Jongin blinks and nods slowly, still a little lost, before the puppy’s bark captures his attention instead. 

“Ah, Tobennie, you’re so cute,” he coos at the puppy. “Can I hold him, hyung? Can I? Can I?” The younger bounces up and down on the balls of his feet as both he and the puppy turn their big eyes up at Chanyeol, who blushes hard. 

“Go ahead.” Jongin whoops and scoops the puppy up into his arms, running into the living room to play with him. Chanyeol coughs as he steps into the door, hurriedly pulling off his shoes so he can find reprieve in his allergy medicine sooner. The sight of Jongin and Toben rolling around happily on the floor has him sighing, and somewhere deep inside he hopes that this will last. The pesky voice of Oh Sehun interrupts his thoughts though, with a nasally “are you sure it’s somewhere deep inside and not straight up written on your face, hyung?” He groans as he fishes out a phone to snap a picture of the scene, sending it in a mass text to all the people who know about his situation with Jongin. 

“Two new roomies!” he captions the photo. Not thirty seconds later, Baekhyun responds with a selfie of him and Sehun looking very unamused. He’s thankful they didn’t decide to call, because he can feel through the typed characters how much Baekhyun wants to yell at him for being stupid and getting a dog though he has severe allergies. 

Kyungsoo’s response is much calmer; a photo of Mongmool and Hoochoo tilting their heads and the caption of, “doggie playdate soon?” He shoots a quick “yes” back to their neighbor and finally moves onto Jongdae’s response. 

He opens the picture Jongdae sends, a selfie of him and Minseok, with Tan perched moodily on Minseok’s lap. The caption reads “my new roomies are better” and Chanyeol can’t help the laugh. Jongin looks up curiously but is soon distracted by Toben rolling onto his back to ask for tummy rubs. Almost immediately after his response to Jongdae though, he receives a message from Minseok in concern, asking about his allergies. After reassuring the elder that he bought all the appropriate medicines, he slips his phone back into the pocket and slides into a spot across from Jongin. The new puppy lolls his tongue out at him from between them, before his eyes shut from the comfortable belly rubs he’s getting from Jongin. 

“Do you like him?” Chanyeol asks shyly, not glancing away from Toben. 

“So much!” Jongin responds happily. He doesn’t stop petting the pup.

When Chanyeol finally looks up again, he finds that Jongin’s gaze isn’t on the puppy but is instead on him. “Thank you, hyung,” he says sincerely. They stare into each other’s eyes like that until Toben jumps onto Jongin’s lap, dissatisfied at the lack of attention. They both laugh and Chanyeol’s heart clenches uncomfortably. 

 

 

Chanyeol finally gathers enough courage to ask Jongin on Wednesday, two days before the show. “Um, my friend Baekhyun invited us to one of his fashion shows. Do you want to go?”

“When is it?” Jongin blinks from where he’s petting Toben. Ever since Chanyeol has gotten the dog, Jongin’s attention has been stolen from him by the little creature. And while Chanyeol’s happy that Jongin is happy, he doesn’t like the fact that he has to fight for attention with a creature 1/20th the size of him. 

“This Friday. It’s kind of an important event so it’s black tie.” 

“This Friday? KKAEPSONG’s fashion show is this Friday,” Jongin muses softly. 

Chanyeol chuckles. “Yeah, that’s his brand.” 

“Shut up!” Jongin exclaims with wide eyes. “No way, you know the designer of KKAEPSONG?” 

“Yeah, we’re childhood friends. So, you down?” For the first time, Chanyeol is glad that Baekhyun allowed for a plus one.

“Of course! KKAEPSONG is the hottest brand for college kids! My friends are going to be so jealous,” Jongin laughs. 

“Great! I’ll let him know so he can put you on the guest list.” Chanyeol turns to walk back to his room, hand already in his pocket to shoot Baekhyun a text. 

“Wait! Oh my god, Chanyeol hyung!” Jongin all but screams. Chanyeol freezes and turns around in shock. Even Toben startles and scuttles away from the younger, cowering in fear by the foot of the couch. “I don’t have anything to wear!” 

He barks out a laugh. “Don’t worry, Jonginnie, Baekhyun wouldn’t let us show up at his event as VIP guests without sending us suits. He’ll probably send them over tomorrow.” Jongin’s eyes grow wide. 

“He’s going to send us KKAEPSONG suits?” 

Chanyeol scratches his neck. “Not actually KKAEPSONG suits. KKAEPSONG doesn’t really have suits anyways. He has a smaller brand called BBHxOSH for formal attire. Those designs are created with his boyfriend actually.” 

“Oh,” Jongin huffs in relief. He makes grabby hands towards Toben, who cautiously makes his way back towards the cuddle monster. “Can you tell Baekhyun hyung thank you for me?” 

“Of course. Baek won’t mind at all either, as long as you look good in his clothes. Which you will, trust me. Actually, I think he might even try to contract you to model for him.” Chanyeol trails off into a mumble as he starts thinking of all the possible scenarios when Jongin finally meets the terror that is Byun Baekhyun. He starts shuffling toward his room, phone in hand to text his friend. He finds the possibility of Jongin’s picture plastered all over the city strangely unsettling as an ugly feeling grips at his stomach. 

 

 

The first meeting between Jongin and Baekhyun goes, of course, as well as any meeting with Byun Baekhyun can go. The smaller is flitting between guests after a successful show, once again, when his eyes fall upon Chanyeol and the stranger next to him. The kid’s eyes are still wide with awe, and seem to be growing even bigger as he looks around the venue. The models are all invited to socialize at the party, and each time one of the attractive men walk by he looks more starstruck. Next to him, his friend is scowling, although discreetly, with an arm looped possessively over the younger’s shoulder. Baekhyun wonders if Chanyeol even realizes what he looks like. He guesses not. 

With his uncanny ability to be able to locate his boyfriend anywhere in a crowd, Baekhyun struts over to where Sehun is in the middle of chatting with the chief editor of Vogue China, and excuses the both of them politely. Once he starts dragging Sehun with a clear destination in mind, his boyfriend peers down at him curiously. “What’s wrong, feistypants?” 

“Nothing,” Baekhyun sings, “but I want to go talk to Chanyeol and Jongdae’s _really, really cute_ brother.” Immediately, Sehun understands.

Baekhyun practically skids to a stop in front of his two targets. “Hi! Enjoy the show? Enjoying the party?” He’s practically chirping. 

Chanyeol sighs in exasperation at his friend and exchanges a look with Sehun. The younger shrugs as if to say “I can’t control him either”. 

“Wonderful show as always, Baek.” He settles for complimenting the tiny terror. 

“Thank you Yeollie,” Baekhyun coos. “And who’s this _handsome_ man next to you?” Jongin freezes up as all three sets of eyes turn to him. 

“I’m, uh,” he clears his throat, “Kim Jongin, nice to meet you Baekhyun-ssi, and thank you for inviting me to your fashion show. I’m a huge fan of KKAEPSONG!” His eyes sparkle in admiration and Chanyeol groans, but Baekhyun positively gloats in glee. 

“Oh, I like this kid! He has good taste, right Sehunnie?” He clings to his boyfriend from behind, chin propped on the taller man’s shoulder with his hands running up and down along the other’s sides. 

“Mm,” Sehun replies, uninterested, as he sips some more wine. 

“I can tell why Chanyeol likes you enough to risk his allergies and get you a dog.” Jongin blinks furiously in confusion. 

“Uh...” He stutters out. Chanyeol rolls his eyes and shifts the arm around Jongin’s shoulders lower so he’s rubbing his arm comfortingly instead. Baekhyun’s eyes follow the movement and instantly pick up on how Jongin relaxes into Chanyeol’s touch. 

“Stop scaring the kid, Baek.” 

“Sorry!” Baekhyun isn’t sorry at all. He rubs his face into Sehun’s back, and as his face is tilted, his gaze falls upon one of his newer models. “Oh! Taozi!” He beckons the other over. Sehun eyes him in question but he simply winks. 

“Tao, this is my friend Chanyeol, and his roommate Jongin,” Baekhyun introduces. They all watch as Tao sweeps his eyes appraisingly up and down Jongin’s frame. Said male flushes deeply, and Chanyeol scowls at Baekhyun as he moves his arm even lower to wrap protectively around Jongin’s waist. He glares at Tao who blinks back at him. 

“Oh, sorry dude, didn’t know he was taken. I mean, Baek hyung said roommate, not boyfriend.” Tao makes pacifying gestures at Chanyeol, who’s bristling with anger. At his words, Jongin blushes even harder and buries his head in Chanyeol’s neck. 

“I’m going to kill you Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol hisses. Baekhyun merely laughs and waves a hand dismissively at Tao, who immediately rockets off to latch himself onto his fellow Chinese model, Yifan. There’s no doubt he’s already talking the older man’s ear off about what he just experienced. Baekhyun tugs at Sehun’s arm. 

“Well, I still have more socializing to do. See you, Yeollie!” He blows a kiss at his childhood friend, who merely tightens his grip around Jongin’s waist and pets his head soothingly. “You can keep the suits!” He calls out with a laugh. Chanyeol flips him the finger in response. 

 

 

The incident becomes one of those things that is taboo to speak of between friends. They don’t bring it up, but the decision to pretend it hadn’t happened is consensual. A week after the fashion show, they’re back to goofing around and doting on the puppy, much to Chanyeol’s relief. He’s still unsure of why he had acted the way he had, but he’s grateful Jongin isn’t weirded out by his actions. 

One Thursday, he comes home early from work, to find that Jongin isn’t home. Toben is gone, too, and Chanyeol deduces that Jongin has taken the puppy out for a walk. Shrugging, he sits down to catch up on some episodes of Andante, a new drama that is his guilty pleasure to watch. He won’t admit this to anyone, but he finds the main character very endearing. Just as he’s settling into his position, he hears the front door click open and disgruntled noises following. “You’re so messy, Toben-ah,” Jongin whines as he takes off muddy shoes and picks up the mudball of a dog to bring him to the shower. “Oh, hyung, you’re back,” he says upon noticing Chanyeol seated at the couch. 

“Yeah, finished work early today. Do you need help?” Chanyeol questions, eyeing the squirming puppy in Jongin’s arms skeptically. 

“No, I think I got it. I might as well take a shower too cause I got dirty playing with Tobennie.” Jongin laughs sheepishly. 

“Okay, well. Just call out if you need help.” Jongin nods and Chanyeol turns his attention back to his drama, where the main character has just hidden away his gaming devices at record speed so when his mother opens the door, it appears that he has been studying for the past few hours. He hears the shower turn on and the sound of the spray, along with Toben’s unhappy barks, is quite loud, so he cranks the volume up higher on the TV. All of a sudden, he hears a human shriek mixed into the cacophony. Alarmed, he quickly rises and makes his way to the bathroom. Just as he’s about to knock, Jongin pushes the door open and rushes out, carrying Toben. He sets Toben down on the ground, where the dog yips happily at Chanyeol before proceeding to shake his wet hair out, and tentatively makes his way back into the bathroom. 

Chanyeol peeks in and gulps, because Jongin had already gotten undressed and was currently naked as the day he was born, _bent over_ the side of the tub, swatting at a large spider on the wall of the bathroom. His pants are starting to tent but he wills himself not to stare at Jongin’s ass, instead focusing on the bug causing the younger distress. Without a word, he walks up to Jongin and protectively places a hand on his shoulder. Jongin looks up at him questioningly before stepping back. Chanyeol takes a shampoo bottle and brushes the spider off the wall and into the tub, then turns the faucet on so the bug goes down the drain. He places the bottle back where he found it and smiles at Jongin, who looks at him with relief brimming from his eyes. Still silent, he quickly makes his way out of the bathroom, grabbing a curious Toben and unceremoniously dumping him with Jongin, before shutting the door firmly behind him. 

Once on the other side of the door, he sighs and glares at the half-pitched tent that is his crotch. As the sound of the shower starts again, and with Chanyeol Jr. showing no signs of going soft, he resigns himself to a quick masturbation session in the privacy of his room.

 

 

Before he knows it, December is upon them and it’s been half a year since Jongin first showed up on his couch. As per December tradition, Chanyeol’s sister Park Yoora has gifted him two VIP tickets for the Seoul National Ballet’s _The Nutcracker_ performance. The prima ballerina of the Seoul Ballet, Yoora is the graceful entity Chanyeol could never be. As he meets up with his sister for coffee, he whines into his cup about Yoora stealing his right foot as a baby, resulting in him ending up with two left feet. It’s a running joke in the family and Yoora always laughs at her little brother’s antics. 

She slides the envelope with the tickets inside across the table. He eyes it suspiciously and she snorts. “Every year I give you two tickets to the ballet. Really, I don’t know what you’re expecting to be different this year. I’m not going to put a bomb in there,” she relays exasperatedly. Chanyeol flushes in embarrassment. 

Yoora’s intention in giving him two tickets is hoping that he will finally have a date to bring to the ballet. For all the years Yoora has been gifting him tickets, he’s never had a date, with the other ticket more often ending up with a stranger than anything else. Of course, he’s obligated to attend his sister’s big performance every year out of familial duty, but he can’t say the same for anyone else. The difference though, is that this year, he actually wants to bring Jongin with him. He knows that Jongin was training in ballet when he got his waist injury, so he thinks the younger male will enjoy this performance. He doesn’t mean to brag, but he knows that these tickets are expensive and hard to get. 

“Thanks noona,” he mouths around his straw. His noona is the only person in the world that gets to see this childish side of him. “Say, noona, if I brought someone with me, could we visit you guys backstage before and after the show?” 

Yoora’s eyes flash in interest but she doesn’t inquire further. “Well I don’t see why not,” she reassures him. “I mean, those are VIP tickets, and if security still tries to stop you, just say you’re the prima ballerina’s brother.” 

He smirks. “It’s times like this looking so similar comes in handy, huh?”

“Oh definitely,” Yoora nods. “I’m curious as to who you’re bringing though. Who has finally wormed his way into my Chanyeollie’s heart?” She tilts her head and looks into his eyes before laughing.

 

 

Before Chanyeol asks Jongin if he wants to be his date to _The Nutcracker_ , he sends a text message to Jongdae. Once Jongdae reassures him that Jongin hasn’t been traumatized by his inability to perform, he starts wondering how to break the news to Jongin. It turns out, however, that the secret spills itself, when the envelope falls from where it had been previously magnetized to the fridge, and Toben chances upon it and brings it to his favorite human.

Jongin’s face goes pale as he looks at the two tickets, and he barges into Chanyeol’s room without knocking. Chanyeol winces, because try as he might, he has yet to be successful in teaching Jongin the knocking system. But when he sees what’s in Jongin’s hand, his eyes go wide. “Um. I can explain?” Chanyeol asks meekly. 

Jongin stares down at him. “How did you get these? Why did you get them? How did you know I’ve been wanting to watch?” 

“Oh, good, you actually want to go?” 

Jongin looks at him like he’s stupid. “Um. Yes? Of course? Why wouldn’t I?” 

“...With me?” He pouts up at the younger. 

“Who else?” Jongin questions. “Now talk! How did you get the tickets, hyung?” 

“Ah,” Chanyeol says, expression clearing up, “my sister is the prima ballerina so-” 

He gets cut off by Jongin falling bonelessly onto his bed. “Jongin? Are you okay? Jonginnie?” He sits down next to Jongin, concern painted on his face. 

“I’m okay,” Jongin raises an arm to his face and slaps himself lightly. “I just need some time to digest this... Your childhood friend is the founder and designer of KKAEPSONG, and your sister is the prima ballerina of the Seoul National Ballet.” 

Chanyeol nods tentatively. “How could you not tell me this, hyung? You know I love ballet!” Jongin screams softly. 

“I’m sorry? It’s not something I like to brag about.” He shuffles his feet with his head hanging low, and Jongin falters. 

“Hyung, I’m not mad. I’m just, surprised. Everyone I know looks up to Park Yoora-ssi, you know! And to think that I’ve been living with her little brother all this time...” he shifts to lay his head in Chanyeol’s lap, and Chanyeol starts playing with his hair. 

“Yeah, what a life, huh?” Chanyeol chuckles. “But yeah, Yoora noona sends me two VIP tickets each year, but no one else wanted to come watch with me before so I always ended up giving a ticket away to someone random.” 

Jongin gasps at his words. “Hyung,” he whines, “I would pay hundreds for that ticket, you can’t just give it away!” 

“Well this year I’m giving it to you, so, do you want to pay hundreds, or would you rather me give it to you?” 

“I’ve changed my mind,” Jongin says decisively. “Hyung, you’re so kind for giving these tickets away.” Chanyeol laughs and ruffles Jongin’s hair. 

“Ah, what a cute dongsaeng.” 

 

 

The night of the ballet, Jongin is jittery with nerves. They’re both wearing the suits Baekhyun had gifted them, despite the strange memories attached to the articles of clothing. Before the show, Chanyeol drags Jongin to buy a bouquet of flowers for his sister. Neither of them have any idea about which arrangement to pick, so they simply settle on the most expensive one. Jongin laughs at the absurdity of the situation and Chanyeol pats his back comfortingly. 

After they enter the theater, the security guards let Chanyeol backstage as expected. They pop into his sister’s dressing room - but not before knocking, of course - where they give her the bouquet of flowers and she smiles winningly at Jongin. In that instant, Chanyeol knows Jongin is sold. He laughs to himself at the hearts and stars floating out of Jongin’s eyes. His sister is a little bewildered at all the attention, not realizing that Chanyeol’s date is an ex-ballerino himself. Fifteen minutes before the show starts, Chanyeol ushers a wide-eyed Jongin out of the dressing rooms and into their balcony seats. Jongin is practically jumping in excitement in his seat, and Chanyeol smiles adoringly at his younger roommate. 

The moment the show ends, Jongin is a mess of emotions, crying from joy, awe, sadness, and a million other emotions Chanyeol can’t identify. All he knows is to hold Jongin close and pat his back comfortingly, whispering encouragements into his ear. As the theater starts to clear out, he asks, “Jongin, do you want to go backstage again?” The younger nods and Chanyeol carefully guides him down the steps. 

“Noona!” Chanyeol calls out, and Yoora looks up from her conversation with another dancer to wave at her brother. The other dancer realizes who he is and quickly excuses himself. 

“You did great, Jonginnie really loved it.” Jongin nods from where he has glued himself to Chanyeol’s side. 

“Thank you, Jongin,” Yoora smiles. Jongin blushes and Chanyeol laughs. 

“Noona,” Chanyeol whines, “quit charming my date.” At his label, Jongin turns scarlet and Chanyeol rubs his waist soothingly. 

“Well, dongsaeng, I don’t think that’s possible. He already seems quite enamoured.” 

“Ah, but noona, you don’t know. He’s such a huge fan! Our Jonginnie used to dance too, right?” Said male nods shyly and Yoora coos. 

“Oh wow, I didn’t know. That’s great!” She knows not to ask why he stopped, because she knows all too well how many dreamers are stopped midway by unforeseen situations. “Thank you for accompanying Chanyeol here today. He never brings anyone with him.” 

“No problem,” Jongin responds. “It was my pleasure, really.” 

“You’re very sweet, Jongin. I’m glad Chanyeol has someone like you in his life.” At her words, they both flush. 

Chanyeol checks his watch and his eyes widen at the time. “Ah, noona, we should go. The subways will close soon.” 

“Oh, I understand,” she nods. “Go on. Bye Yeollie, bye Jongin! Hope to see you again soon!” 

They wave and make their ways into the cold winter air. “Thank you for taking me, Chanyeol hyung,” Jongin whispers after five minutes of walking. 

“No, thank you for coming with me,” Chanyeol replies simply. “I had a lot of fun with you. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a ballet so much.” 

Jongin giggles. “Well, I’m glad I got you more invested in it. Ballet is really beautiful, you know?” 

“Mm, I wish I could’ve had the chance to see you perform.” Jongin blinks. 

“You’ve seen me practice around at home,” he protests. 

“But it’s not the same!” Chanyeol exclaims. “I bet you’d dazzle on stage.” 

Jongin flushes, “No, hyung, I would have never been as good as Yoora noona, even if I hadn’t gotten hurt.” 

“Don’t sell yourself short, Jongin,” Chanyeol lectures sternly. “You’re amazing.” 

“Thanks hyung,” Jongin says quietly. Chanyeol hums in response. 

They continue walking along when Chanyeol first feels a touch of moisture on his noise. Looking around, he finds that it has started snowing. He points this out so Jongin. “Look! It’s snowing! The first snow of winter!” 

“Oh, wow.” The younger male looks up at the elder’s excited expressions. “It’s beautiful.” 

“Isn’t it?” Chanyeol turns his head to look down at Jongin. He can’t read the expression on the taller’s face, but he finds himself lost in the gentleness of his eyes. 

 

 

After a tired day at work following the holidays, Chanyeol comes home to complete silence. Put out at the fact that Jongin is out with Toben, and that there is no one to cheer him up, he sighs and turns on the TV to catch some Andante again. Unknowingly, he falls asleep to the lull of the main character’s voice as he bickers with his sister.

Chanyeol is startled awake from where he was dozing off in front of the TV by the feeling of a hand on his leg and a head on his shoulder. He feels warm all over as he blinks his eyes open. “Uh...” He mumbles intelligently while still trying to find his bearings.

“Hi hyung,” Jongin perks up and responds with a suspiciously happy smile. Toben is nowhere to be found and the TV has been muted. Chanyeol notices with a start that Andante is no longer airing; instead, some late night comedy show is playing soundlessly on the screen.

“Hi?” Chanyeol is very confused. “What time is it?” 

Jongin lays his head back on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I’m not sure,” he says, and wriggles happily into the taller man’s side. 

“Did you eat? Why aren’t you sleeping?” 

“I’m trying, hyung! Can’t you tell?” His warm breath ghosts over the shell of Chanyeol’s ear, and Chanyeol squirms in discomfort. 

“On the bed, Jongin. I meant why aren’t you sleeping on the bed?” The younger grins sheepishly. 

“Because I wanted to sleep with you, hyung!” Properly confused, Chanyeol gently shrugs Jongin’s head off his shoulder, turning his gaze away when the younger pouts up at him. “Hyung,” he whines. 

“Jongin,” Chanyeol hums back mockingly. 

“Hyung, you take care of me all the time. You gave me a place to stay, you feed me, you even got me a puppy!” He pouts. “You took me to see KKAEPSONG’s fashion show and the Seoul Ballet’s _Nutcracker_! You always look out for me but you won’t let me take care of you.” 

“So... you wanted to... what?” He can’t help but feel even more confused. 

To his surprise, Jongin blushes. “I... Hyung, I want to take care of you too! I know you like me hyung, and I kind of like you too. You’re so kind to me and not only that but you make me feel safe! You protect me from bugs like a real hero, hyung.” Chanyeol laughs.

“So you’re going to start saving _me_ from bugs now?” 

It’s amusing how fast the younger backtracks. “No,” he says with a crinkle of his nose, “that’s still your job hyung. But, like today, when you have a bad day at work, I want to give you hugs and kisses to make you feel better!” 

“How did you know I had a bad day at work?” 

“You didn’t even wake up when me and Tobennie came home from the park, even though Tobennie was barking really loudly,” Jongin says sincerely with wide eyes. Chanyeol is properly enchanted.

“Jongin, babe.” The younger’s eyes widen even more at the term of endearment. “I do like you and I’m glad you like me back, but it’s three in the morning and that is not a good time to talk about feelings.” 

“Oh,” Jongin whispers. 

“And, you have a bad waist so you shouldn’t be sleeping on the couch.” Chanyeol stares sternly into Jongin’s eyes, and the younger has the decency to flush in shame. “Yeah, don’t think I forgot about that.” Grumbling, Jongin hides his warm cheeks in the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. “But, if you want to finish this... We can go cuddle in your room, on your bed, okay?” 

Grumbling, Jongin nods begrudgingly and makes to stand up from the couch. As soon as he gets balanced on his own two feet, though, Chanyeol pulls him down again into his lap. He laughs at Jongin’s look of bewilderment. “Thank you for looking out for me, babe,” he whispers into the younger’s chest. Jongin giggles when Chanyeol shifts to press a sweet kiss to the side of his face. 

“Let’s go to bed, hyung,” Jongin replies with bright eyes, tugging gently for Chanyeol to get up so they can sleep. 

 

The next morning Chanyeol wakes to beautiful eyes staring into his own with wonder. “Good morning, sunshine,” he greets. Jongin flushes and drops a kiss on his nose. 

“Good morning hyung. Is now a good time to talk about feelings?” Chanyeol laughs. 

“Yes, Jonginnie.” 

“Do you like me, hyung?” Jongin asks very seriously. 

“No,” Chanyeol replies cheerily. Jongin’s face falls and Chanyeol coos. He cups Jongin’s face and draws him in for a deep kiss. “I love you,” he sings. 

Embarrassed, Jongin slaps at his chest weakly. “Me too,” he mutters. 

“What’s that? Hyung’s getting old and can’t hear too well these days. Can you repeat that?” The taller implores cheekily. 

Jongin simply hits him harder in response. He laughs and grabs Jongin’s arms to pull him in for a closer hug. “I love you Jonginnie, my sweet sweet boyfriend!” 

 

**Epilogue**

When Chanyeol finally manages to get the last piece of clothing off Jongin’s body, the younger tries to cover himself shyly. Chanyeol gently peels his hands away from himself and drops a soft kiss on his lips. “Baby, you’re so beautiful,” he whispers, slowly taking in the body in front of him. 

Jongin whines and covers his eyes, blush evident from the praise. Chanyeol drops another kiss on his collarbone, revelling in the quiet whimper he draws from Jongin’s mouth. “My pretty, pretty baby.” Jongin chokes out a laugh and removes his hands to peer down at Chanyeol, who blinks up at him with wide eyes and a cheeky grin. He slowly guides one of Jongin’s hands to rest in his hair; Jongin’s fingers tangle with the messy strands and he lets out a sigh of relief. He goes back to leaving small pecks down Jongin’s chest - his boyfriend really has an amazing body and he feels blessed to be able to worship it so. 

“Hyung,” Jongin sighs into the room. “I love you hyung.” 

“I love you too, Jonginnie.” Chanyeol pauses in mapping out Jongin’s body to press a sweet kiss to his lips instead. 

“Hyung, can I ride you?” Said male freezes at Jongin’s question, before nodding slowly. 

“God, you’re so hot,” he breathes into his younger boyfriend’s ear before biting gently on the lobe. Jongin arches his back with a tiny grunt, and Chanyeol trails a hand down to slowly stroke Jongin’s member. 

“Not too much, hyung,” Jongin whines. “I want to come with you inside me.” Chanyeol groans again. 

“You’re going to be the death of me, Kim Jongin.” He reaches for the lube on the bedside table and brings it with him as he kisses lower down his boyfriend’s body. Dropping the lube somewhere near the foot of the bed, he grabs both of Jongin’s legs and _pulls_ , leaving Jongin exposed and in a position much like the second time they met. Not for the first time, Chanyeol blesses Jongin’s flexibility. 

He sucks hickeys into Jongin’s thighs, basking in the little whimpers his boyfriend is releasing. He makes his way closer and closer to his end destination, nuzzling the balls a little before leaving a playful kiss on the hard shaft. Chanyeol fishes around behind him for the lube, and drizzles a generous amount onto his fingers. Slowly, he pushes one digit into the hole presenting itself while leaving tiny bites on his boyfriend’s navel. Jongin’s low moan goes straight to his own cock, and he grunts as he adds another finger. 

“Are you okay, baby?” He asks between ministrations. Jongin hums in approval and wriggles his butt a little to tell Chanyeol to hurry up. Chanyeol obeys, and begins pumping the fingers in and out. Another little whine lets Chanyeol know to either pick up the pace or add another finger, and he chooses the latter. Finally, he detaches his mouth from his boyfriend’s body to look at the sight in front of him; Jongin’s long dancer’s body is completely spread out for him, tanned skin bathed in a sheen of sweat. His hair forms a halo above his head and the moans coming from his thick lips keep causing Chanyeol’s cock to twitch. His eyes are scrunched shut in bliss as Chanyeol pumps three fingers in and out of his hole. His pretty cock jostles with every movement. “I am so lucky to have you,” Chanyeol says as he removes his fingers to lube up his member. Jongin whines at the loss of stimulation but is pacified when Chanyeol’s other hand reaches to jerk at his hard cock. 

“Can I ride you now?” Jongin asks breathlessly as Chanyeol strokes his shaft leisurely while eyeing Jongin. 

Chanyeol waves a hand toward his nether regions. “It’s all yours, Jonginnie.” Laughing, the younger sits up and crawls up Chanyeol’s long legs. He doesn’t immediately sit on Chanyeol’s cock, instead choosing to rub his hole slowly on top of it while he makes out with his boyfriend. Slowly, he detaches his mouth and pushes Chanyeol down. He positions the member so it’s aligned with his hole and sinks down. They both gasp - Chanyeol at how tight Jongin is and Jongin at the fullness he feels. Once Jongin has bottomed out, he rocks his hips experimentally to see how it feels. Chanyeol’s cock brushes a spot inside him that causes his motions to stutter, and he furiously tries to find that spot again. Chanyeol laughs at how eager his boyfriend is and pats his ass in comfort. “Don’t worry babe, you’ll find it again.” Jongin only whines in response. Giving up on finding his prostate, he begins to bounce up and down on Chanyeol’s cock. The atmosphere becomes serious at once, as the pleasure overtakes their minds. 

“This is such a leg workout,” Jongin huffs in between moans. His hands are on Chanyeol’s chest as he tries to find more leverage to make each plunge deeper. One of Chanyeol’s hands is over one of Jongin’s on his chest, but the other has moved lower to fondle Jongin’s cheeks. 

“Babe can I sit up?” Chanyeol asks. “I want to kiss you.” Relenting, Jongin stops bouncing for a moment and leans back so Chanyeol can sit up. As soon as he does, Jongin feels his cock press against that magical spot again. He quickly loops his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and starts moving again; this time, Chanyeol has both hands placed on his ass and thrusts up to meet each of Jongin’s downward motions. His lips find home between Jongin’s nipples and his lips, swallowing several moans. “You,” Chanyeol moans and he continues playing with Jongin’s lower cheeks, “are a blessing.” His younger boyfriend’s only response is to whine. At this point, he’s too blissed out and is working closer and closer towards his release. Chanyeol playfully circles a finger around Jongin’s hole, which is already being stretched open by his own cock. “Just tell me to stop if this gets too much, okay?” Jongin gives a grunt of acknowledgement. Chanyeol slowly pushes the finger up next to his shaft to add more width. The younger’s hole stretches easily to accommodate this extra appendage, and he moans at the burn. 

“Fuck, fuck me hard, hyung,” Jongin whines. Chanyeol’s eyes darken and he kisses Jongin to let him know he’s been heard. He removes the finger carefully and lays Jongin down gently on his back. He brushes Jongin’s bangs away from his eyes and rests both hands above Jongin’s shoulders. 

“Can you come untouched for me baby?” Chanyeol growls, as Jongin wriggles under him. The smaller nods. And then Chanyeol starts pistoning into his younger boyfriend, hips snapping furiously. Jongin moans in pleasure as he’s finally fucked open the way he wants to be. The previous stimulation in addition to this forceful thrusting quickly pulls him to the edge. When Chanyeol bites down roughly on his neck, leaving a hickey, he comes in sprays across both their abdomens. Chanyeol soothes the bite with gentle licks, but his pace doesn’t slow as he chases his own release. “You’re so good for me, Jonginnie,” he coos into the younger’s ear. When Jongin whines in response, his hips stutter and he releases into his boyfriend’s hole. “I love you,” he sighs, unwilling to pull out. 

“I love you too, hyung,” Jongin breathes back, linking his arms around Chanyeol’s neck. His eyes flutter and it’s clear that he’s well on his way to dreamland, so Chanyeol gently slips his cock out from Jongin’s ass, eventually leaving a soft kiss by the entrance. He grabs a warm rag to clean the two of them up before slipping under the covers to join his boyfriend in dreamland. 

 

 

When Chanyeol wakes up, Jongin’s not by his side and he feels a brief moment of panic. Loud laughter and a symphony of barking outside the door alert him to his boyfriend’s presence, though, and he sighs in relief. He sits up and rolls his shoulders back, before going to find his boyfriend. He doesn’t bother with clothes. 

As expected, he finds Jongin in sweatpants out on the living room floor, but unexpectedly, there are three other puppies aside from the usual Toben. He blinks once, twice, and rubs his eyes to make sure he’s not dreaming still, feeling an odd sense of dejavu. “Hyung!” Jongin chirps from his place in the ring of puppies. “Meet Monggu, Jjanggu, and Jjangah! My puppies! You remember, right, hyung?” 

Chanyeol nods stupidly. Toben has already made himself at home with his new brothers and sister. “You don’t mind that I had my puppies brought over, right hyung?” Jongin asks in sudden hesitation. Chanyeol shakes his head to clear his mind before making his way closer to the small pack of dogs. He wraps his arms around Jongin and pecks his cheek in assurance. 

“Of course not, babe.” Jongin positively beams in happiness, before screwing his nose in disgust. 

“Ew, hyung! Go get dressed, you’re tainting my babies!” And sure enough, the new additions to their household are slowly starting to sniff at his exposed privates. He scowls and gets up. Just as he’s about to go shower, though, he feels arms around his waist and a head resting against his shoulder. 

“I love you, hyung,” Jongin whispers into his ear before pressing a quick kiss onto his shoulder. 

Chanyeol turns himself around and holds Jongin’s waist tightly as he kisses his younger boyfriend. “I love you too, Jongin.”


End file.
